Exercising apparatus

ABSTRACT

AN EXERCISING DEVICE HAVING A UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED GRIPPING POLE ATTACHED TO ONE OR MORE DAMPERS FOR RESISTING ANY MOVEMENT ABOUT ITS UNIVERSAL MOUNTING. THE DAMPERS CONTAIN A VISCOUS FLUID WITHIN EITHER OPPOSED RECIPROCATING EXPANSIBLE CHAMBERS OR OPPOSED ROTARY EXPANSIBLE CHAMBERS AND ARE MOUNTED BETWEEN A SUPPORT N EITHER THE SAME SIDE OR OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE UNIVERSAL MOUNTING WITH RESPECT TO THE GRIPPING AREA OF THE POLE. EXPANDED POWER IS INDICATED BY A THERMOMETER SHOWING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE DAMPER FLUID.

Unite States Patent William J. Andrews, 5350 Edgernoor Lane,

Inventor Bethesda, Md. 20014 Appl. No. 862,!79

Filed Sept. 30, I969 Patented June 28. I97! EXEMCHSING APPARATUS 7 Claims, d Drawing Figs.

ILLS. CI 73/379R, 272/79R Int. Cl. A63b 21/00,

G0 ll 5/02 Field oiSearch ..73/379, I33

( 72/79, 80,82, (lnquired); 74/471 (inquired) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS X6l7, l 63 2/l927 France Primary Examiner-James J. Gill Assistant Examiner-Marvin Smollar Attorney-Thomas E. Bell, Jr.

ABSTRACT: An exercising device having a universally mounted gripping pole attached to one or more dampers for resisting any movement about its universal mounting. The dampers contain a viscous fluid within either opposed reciprocating expansible chambers or opposed rotary expansible chambers and are mounted between a support on either the same side or opposite side of the universal mounting with respect to the gripping area of the pole. Expended power is indicated by a thermometer showing the temperature of the damper fluid.

PATENIEU JUN28 1971 SHEET 1 BF 3 //V VE/V 70/? William J Andrews PATENTED Ju-28|9n 3,587,319

SHEET 2 [IF 3 //V VE N TOR William J. Andrews EXERCISING APPARATUS BACKGROUND While many types of exercising devices are presently available to the public, most of them suffer from some or all of the following infirmities. Rowing and pedaling type exercisers are invariably cumbersome, complicated and expensive. They also tend to be unsightly in that their basic design and the materials used in their construction are incompatible with the furnishings of the average home. These devices which incorporate rapidly rotating spoked wheels of not inconsiderable inertia, reciprocating body support platforms, etc. constitute a definite hazard,particularly when operated in the presence of small children and pets. A further disadvantage of this type of device is that they tend tobe annoyingly noisy.

Other types of exercising devices which employ metallic and nonmetallic springs, weights, etc. possess the inherent danger to the user and bystanders of the sudden release of rather large amounts of energy. Many such devices are also suitable for effective use only by persons of a limited range of stature and strength.

Although many presently available devices enable the user to effectively exercise many different muscles, this usually requires the practice of rigid formalized routines which tend to bore the user.

SUMMARY It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide an exercising apparatus that: permits the user to effectively exercise most of his muscles without having toadhere to a formalized or stylized format; is inexpensive; has an appearance compatible with the decor of the average home; automatically adapts :itself to persons of a very wide range of stature and strength; is quiet and safein operation; is easily disassembled for'storage; and will-enablethe userto determine the relative amounts of energy-expended fromone exercising session to another.

The gripping pole is universally mounted on a support. A pluralityof oppositely orientednonresilient viscous-fluiddampers are mounted between the gripping pole and the support for resisting all movement of the pole. Additional mountings may beprovided on :the .supportlto obtain-correspondingly differenteffects with the same dampers. The dampers may be mtary orreciprocating andmounted on either side of the pole. Expendedpower isindicatedby a.thermometerthatshowsthe temperatureof theifluid within the dampers.

These and'other objects, features and advantages 'of'the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description anddrawings, in *which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view,,partly in section, taken-on line 2-2 ofFIG. '1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view,,partly insection, taken on line 3-3ofFlG. 1,

FIG. 4is a perspective view of1anotherembodiment-of the present invention,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of item '39 and associated parts of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is aperspective viewof'a third embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. '7is asectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The base I of "the exercising apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 would be 2 m3 feet .by approximately 4 feet in plan view, and approximately I inchesthick. Recessed into, and securely aflixed to base -l.aremounting fittings 2, 3, 4rand '5 which are adapted by means of keyhole slots 6 to receive the lower ends of hydraulicdampers ordashpots 7.and 8.

The cross section of damper 8 would be identical to that of damper 7, which is shown in FIG. 2. The damper 7 is fitted with threaded studlike projection 9 having nuts 10 and 11 for retaining therebetween opposed frustoconical elastomeric bushings l2 and 13. Dampers 7 and] 8 can be quickly attached to mounting fittings 2, 3, 4 or 5 by simply inserting bushing 13 thru the enlarged lower portion of slot 6 as shown in FIG. 2 and thereafter moving the projection 9 toward the opposite narrower end of slot 6 to the illustrated operative position.

The upper ends of damper piston rods 14 are threaded and pass thru oversized holes in brackets 28 and 29 respectively for dampers 7 and 8. The brackets are rigidly affixed to sleeve 60 on gripping pole 25. Brackets 28 and 29 are configured so that the centerlines of piston rods 14 intersect the centerline of pole 25 at the same point when pole 25 is in its undeflected" vertical position as shown in FIG. I. As shown in FIG. 2 frustoconical elastomeric bushings l5 and 16 are disposed on either side of each bracket 28 and 29 and are retained by nuts 61 and 62. Attached to the lower end of piston rod 14 is piston 17 having piston ring 18 for sealing the annular clearance between piston 17 and cylinder 19. Sealing ring 20 seals the clearance between piston rod 14 and the bore in cylinder head 21. Orifice 22 is drilled thru piston 17 to provide controlled fluid flow between opposite sides of the piston for oil or other viscous liquid 23. Bellows 24 is filled with a compressible fluid such as air. Pole 25 is universally mounted on the base 1 at its lower end by a ball-ended shank or pintle 26 which mates with an elastomeric lined socket 27 set into base 1 and retained therein by washer 69 and screws 30 as shown in FIG. 3. The upper end of pole 25 is approximately 4 feet above base I and provides'a suitable handgrip for the'operator.

To provide an indication of work performed, as shown in FIG. 5, an ordinary tubular fluid-type thermometer 39 is affixed to cylinder 19 of one or both dampers 7 and/or 8 by means of thermally conductive adhesive. A protective housing 40 having viewing slot 41 surrounds the thermometer and is affixed to cylinder 19. Spring clip 42 slidably engages housing 40 to provide an adjustable index. An indicated temperature rise in the fluid 23 will becorrelated to work and elapsed time. Other forms of thermometers such as dial type 65, shown on damper 8 in FIG. 1, may also be used.

An alternative form of construction is shown in FIG. 4 wherein base 31 is elevated by legs 32 (only one of four being shown) and pole 33 passes thru base 31. Enlarged spherical portion 34 of gripping pole 33 cooperates with cupped opposed washers 35 and 35 to form a universal ball joint. Lower end of pole 33 is fitted with bracket 63 which accepts the ends of piston rods 14 in the same manner as do brackets 28 and 29 in FIG. 1. Dampers 7 and 8 are identical to those shown in FIG. 1 and are fitted with mounting studs 9, elastomeric bushings l2 and 13 and nuts 10 and 11; this hardware is employed to attach dampers 7 and 8 to brackets 36 and 37 respectively which in turn are attached to the underside of base 31 by screws or bolts 38.

Still another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6 wherein the tubular dampers are replaced by rotary or vane-type dampers 44 .and 45 having shafts 46 and 47. Vane 48 is mounted on shaft 46 in arcuate chamber 49 which is'filled with essentially incompressible fluid 50. Suitable seals (not shown) prevent passage of fluid 50 around the edges of vane 48. Rotation of shaft 46 causes vane 48 to rotate thereby causing fluid to be displaced thru orifice 51. Damper 45 is constructed in the same manner. Referring again to FIG. 6, damper 44 has its chamber 49 rigidly affixed to base 52. The corresponding chamber of damper 45 is rigidly mounted on shaft 46 by bracket 53 so that the centerlines of shafts 46 and 47 intersect at Gripping pole 54- is rigidly affixed to shaft 47 at the intersection of the centerl'ines of shafts 46 and 47. Therefoge, it is seen that pole 54 is provided with a universal mounting with respect to base 52 and! damping means resisting any movement.

Although the constructions shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 are portable for use anywhere, they are easily adapted to permanent installation in a gymnasium or the like by the simple expedient of substituting the floor, wall or ceiling of a room for base 1, 3! or 52.

OPERATION The exerciser, represented by stick figure 43 in FIG. I, stands on base I, 31 or 52 and grasps pole 25, 33 or 54 at a convenient height with one or both hands and causes the end of the pole to describe various-paths such as circular of various diameters, clockwise and counterclockwise, linear in any direction, figures of eight, elipses, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc. of any amplitude and orientation that strikes the fancy of the exerciser or that is indicated by the muscles that are to be worked.

Inasmuch as dampers 7 and 8 are disposed substantially 90 to each other, motion of pole 25 or 33 in any direction causes motion of both pistons 17 in cylinders 19. As can be seen from F IG, 2 movement of piston in either direction causes a portion of viscous fluid 23 to be displaced thru orifice 22 from one side of the piston to the other. Compression of bellows or the like 24, which is filled with air or other compressible fluid, serves to accommodate the displacement of piston rod 14 as it is thrust into the cylinder. This action is the same for the embodiment of FIG. 4.

Similarly, motion of pole 54 in FIG. 6 will cause rotation of shaft 46 and/or 47 and attendant flow of viscous liquid 50 thru orifice('s) 51 to produce substantially the same type of resistance as is produced with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4.

The well-known physical phenomenon that the flow thru an orifice varies approximately as the second power (square) of the pressure difference across the orifice results in the fortuitous situation that if the exerciser doubles the speed of his motions the resistance to his motions is increased by a factor of four, and the work done per unit of time (power), being proportional to the third power (cube) of the speed, is increased by a factor of eight. Thus, it can be seen that subject exercising apparatus is uniquely self-regulating and is capable of automatically furnishing the appropriate or desired amount of resistance to the motions of any exerciser regardless of stature or strength. It can also be seen that, unlike spring and weight loaded devices, it provides resistance to motion in all planes and directions of motion anddoes not store any appreciable amount of energy, the inadvertant release of which might injure the user.

Inasmuch as the exerciser can assume various postures and also move about freely on the base while exercising, it can be seen that virtually all of the muscles of the body can be brought into vigorous play.

Inasmuch as most of the work expended on the device by the exerciser is converted into heat in the hydraulic fluid 23, a measure of the exercisers eflorts is the temperature rise in said fluid and its container, cylinder 19. The exerciser, therefore, may set index 42 opposite the fluid level of thermometer 39 at the beginning of a brief exercising session and observe the temperature rise achieved by his efforts. During a more prolonged exercising session the temperature of fluid 23 and cylinder 19 will tend to stabilize since heat loss to the surroundings will increase with temperature and the measure of the work done will more nearly be proportional to the product of the temperature rise and the duration of the exercising session.

While in no way a precise quantitative measure of the effort expended, this feature adds a certain amount of interest to the use of the apparatus and provides a frame of reference to enable the exerciser to compare his latest efforts with those of previous sessions so as to achieve a well proportioned and regulated exercise program.

To add further interest to the use of the apparatus shown in FIG. I, dampers 7 and 8 may also be mounted on fittings 5 and 4 respectively, or on fittings 3 and 2 respectively, thus affording the user a variety of available areas on which to move about.

I claim:

1. An exercising apparatus comprising: a gripping member; universaljoint means for mounting said gripping member on a support; and viscous fluid damping means for extending between said gripping member and the support to resist substantially all displacement of said gripping member about said universal joint means.

2. The exercising apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gripping member is a polelike member.

3. The exercising apparatus of claim 2, wherein said universal joint is located at one end of said polelike member; and said damping means include a plurality of extensible tubular dampers, one end of each of said dampers being pivotally attached to said polelike member at a point on said polelike member spaced from said universal joint, and the other opposite end of each of said tubular dampers having means pivotally attaching the respective damper to the support for said universal joint at points substantially spaced from one another.

4. The exercising apparatus of claim 2, wherein said universal joint is located intermediate the terminal ends of said polelike member; and said damping means include a plurality of extensible tubular dampers one end of each ofsaid dampers being pivotally attached to one terminal end of said polelike member and the other opposite end of each of said tubular dampers having means pivotally attaching the respective damper to the support for said universal joint at points substantially spaced from one another.

5. The exercising apparatus of claim 2, wherein said damping means include two rotary dampers, each having a body and a relatively rotatable shaft extending therefrom, the first of said damper bodies having means for rigidly mounting it to the support for said universal joint, the second of said damper bodies being rigidly attached to the shaft extending from said first of said damper bodies so that the centerlines of said damper shafts intersect at substantially and said polelike member being rigidly affixed tothe shaft of said second of said damper bodies so that the centerline of said polelike member intersects each centerline of said damper shafts.

6. The exercising apparatus of claim 1, wherein said damping means include viscous fluid temperature indicating means.

7. The exercising apparatus of claim 6, wherein said temperature indicating means has a moveable index. 

